Haitian Creole developed in the 17th century from a combination of African dialects and French spoken by slaves and colonists in Haiti. It is now the native language of over 95% of Haitians, though French is still favored by elites. Despite pride in Creole, the language faces marginalization and the education system favors French. Reform in 1979 aimed to introduce Creole education but saw limited success, and standardized tests are still in French, hindering students. Proper support of Creole in education could help unite and develop Haiti.

1. HAITIAN CREOLE
Gunnar McLellan

2. Haiti: An Introduction
 Haiti is currently one of the most impoverished
nations in the world
 It used to be a French colony, but the slaves
overtook the colonists, achieving
independence in 1804
 Because of their victory, they were the
ostracized by Europe and idolized by slaves of
other colonies

3. Creolization: Background
 Creoles typically develop due to European
plantation colonies
 The interaction of two mutually unintelligible
languages that need something from one
another
 Little research has been done into Creoles but
that doesn’t make them any less of a language

4. Haitian Creole: History and
Information
 Haitian Creole was created around the 17th
Century during the enslavement of African
slaves by colonists
 It is a combination of mostly African Dialects
and colonial French
 The distribution of the combination is likely due
to the large population gap between slaves
and colonists
 It is now spoken by over 95 percent of the
population

5. Haitian Creole: Today
 Despite the pride Haiti has in their language, it
is somewhat marginalized by the higher
classes
 It is used in situations from bartering at the
market, to political meetings and large
assemblies
 French is still the most respected language
because of the Economic status of those who
speak it
 9 out of 10 Haitians speak only Creole

6. Haitian Creole: Education
 In 1979 a large scale education reform took
place
 Despite the funds allocated to the program, not
much changed
 French was supposed to be taught as a
‘Second Language’ once children passed into
secondary school
 Standardized tests were also taken in French,
which obviously made it difficult and less
enjoyable for students to continue education

7. Conclusion
 Haiti is a nation full of pride but there is not
enough being done by elites to uphold their
language
 Elites should put more value into their culture
 Reform needs to be enforced
 Teaching Creole would ensure proper
instruction, higher attendance and success
 In order to industrialize a whole nation, you
must unite its people

8. Bibliography
 Haitian Creole. (2017). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Haitian-Creole
 Ménard, N. (2014). Translating the Caribbean. The Myth of the Monolingual Haitian Reader: Linguistic Rights and Choices in the Haitian Literary
Context. Pages 52-63. Retrieved from: http://smallaxe.dukejournals.org/content/18/3_45/52.full
 Dash, J. M. (2000). Culture & Customs of Haiti. Westport, US: Greenwood Press.
 Mühleisen, S. (2002). Creole Discourse: Exploring prestige formation and change across Caribbean English-lexicon Creoles. Philadelphia, NL: John
Benjamins Publishing Company.
 Holm, J. (1989). Pidgins and Creoles Vol. II: Reference Survey. Cambridge. Cambridge UP.
 Bentolila, A. (1987). Hatian Creole: A Challenge for Education. Pages 73-87.
 DeGraff, M. (2011). Our word is our bond. Voices of Haiti, online interview. Retrieved from: https://haiti.mit.edu/voices-from-haiti/
 Creole languages. (2017). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/creole-languages
 Cruse, R. (2015), L’Espace géographique “ Répartition et dynamiques spatiales des langues créoles dans la Caraïbe (Tome 44), p. 1-
17. Retrieved from www.cairn.info/revue-espace-geographique-2015-1-page-1.htm.
 Dupuy, A. (1989). Haiti in the World Economy: Class, Race, and Underdevelopment since 1700. New York: Westview Press.

9. Bibliography (Extended)
 Haitian Creole. (2017). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Haitian-Creole
 Hunt, A. N. (1988; 2006). Haiti's Influence on Antebellum America; Slumbering Volcano in the Caribbean (1st Ed). Baton Rouge, La:
Louisiana State University Press.
 Lefebvre, C. (2004). Issues in the Study of Pidgin and Creole Languages. Studies in language companion series. 70. John Benjamins
Publishing Company.
 Sletten, P. (2006). Poverty in Haiti. Ibero Americana (Sweden), 36(2), 41-60. Retrieved from:
http://libproxy.uwyo.edu/login/?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/748693819?accountid=14793
 Spears, A. K., & Berotte Joseph, C. (Eds.). (2010). The Haitian Creole Language: History, Structure, Use, and Education (Caribbean
Studies). Lanbam, Maryland: Lexington Books. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/applij/article/32/3/353/252488/Arthur-K-Spears-
and-Carole-M-Berotte-Joseph-The
 Republique d'Ha'iti. Officiel. . (1982). "Premier bilan des resultats de I'evaluation des nouveaux programmes dans le cadre de la reforme
Educative en Haiti" (First Outcomes Report from the Evaluation of New Programs in the Context of Haiti's Educational Reform.) Ministbre
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